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2026 World Cup Language Podcast Day 30: Come off the bench to score
It’s day 30 of the 2026 World Cup and on today’s World Cup language podcast we look at a phrase from the Spain versus Belgium quarter-final match: Come off the bench to score. You can read the transcript for this podcast below, while you can also check out our glossary of footballing phrases here and visit our site to access all our previous posts and podcasts. If you have any suggestions or questions about the phrase or our podcast then you can contact us here.
Hello
DF: Hello again everyone. This is Damian from the Learn English through Football team and I hope you are all doing well and enjoying, the World Cup quarter-finals. It’s still really hot here in London and I think it is really hot in the US too. What’s the weather like where you are?
This is day 30 of our World Cup language series in which we are explaining a phrase or expression from the World Cup each day. And hopefully you are finding them useful with your language learning – it would be great to let us know how you are using them in your teaching and/or learning.
Now, yesterday Damon explained the phrase, ‘to tee up‘ after the France win over Morocco in the quarter final of the World Cup. Today I am going to focus on Spain’s win over Belgium in the second quarter-final and I will look at the phrase, ‘to come off the bench to score‘.
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in Spanish)
Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football podcast, or as we were known before, Languagecaster, and that message was in Spanish.
Come off the bench to score
DF: OK, so the phrase we are looking at today is to come off the bench to score. We can see that there are two verbs in this expression: to come off the bench and to score. So, let’s look at the first part: to come off the bench means that a player has entered the game as a substitute – so they did not start but came on to the pitch in place of a team mate (maybe because they were injured or not playing so well). So, to come off the bench means to play as a substitute. The second part ‘to score’ means that the substitute then scored a goal; we don’t always have to say ‘a goal’ as we know this with the verb ‘to score’ – it is understood.
So, in the Spain versus Belgium match the Spanish player Mikel Merino started as a substitute; he was on the bench. But he came on in the 88th minute and only 117 seconds later he scored the winning goal. He came off the bench to score (the winning goal). Remarkably, he had done something similar in the last-16 match against Portugal – he came off the bench to score the winner in that game too.
And here’s an example from Opta Analyst:
- Example: Mikel Merino is the first player ever to come off the bench and score the winning goal in two different knockout-stage matches at the World Cup: Portugal (Round of 16) and Belgium (Quarter-final) (Opta Analyst, 2026)
Stinger: You are listening to the Learn English Through Football Podcast.com (in French)
DF: Yes, you are listening to the Learn English through Football podcast and that was a message from a French speaker. Of course, France will face Spain in the first semi-final this week – two very different styles of football but it will be exciting. I wonder will Merino start or will he come off the bench again to make an impact?
Contact
Now don’t forget, if you want to get in contact with us or ask a football-language question then just come along to our site here at learnenglishthroughfootball.com.
Goodbye
DF: Thank you everyone again for listening. On today’s World Cup language show, we looked at the phrase, ‘to come off the bench to score‘ after Spain’s late winner against Belgium. Can you think of any other words for this phrase in any language that you know? If so, drop us a line and let us know. And we’ll be back soon with some more expressions from the World Cup. Until then, bye bye.
Related Links
-
- 2026 World Cup Language 29: To Tee up
- 2026 World Cup Language 27: Complete the comeback
- 2026 World Cup Language 26: Dump out of
- 2026 World Cup Language 25: Hold out
- 2026 World Cup Language 24: Stubborn defence
- 2026 World Cup Language 23: Scrape past
- 2026 World Cup Language 22: Breeze past
- 2026 World Cup Language 21: Advance to the last 16
- 2026 World Cup Language 20: Sweep aside
- 2026 World Cup Language 19: Win a penalty shootout
- 2026 World Cup Language 18: Stoppage time
- 2026 World Cup Language 17: See off an opponent
- 2026 World Cup Language 16: To Spill
- 2026 World Cup Language 15: Results go their way
- 2026 World Cup Language 14: Goal difference
- 2026 World Cup Language 13: Ends scoring goal drought
- 2026 World Cup Language 12: Shrug off
- 2026 World Cup Language 11: Thumping strike
- 2026 World Cup Language 10: Statement win
- 2026 World Cup Language 9: One-way traffic
- 2026 World Cup Language 8: Gift
- 2026 World Cup Language 7: Re-taken penalty
- 2026 World Cup Language 6: A stunner
- 2026 World Cup Language 5: Hold to a draw
- 2026 World Cup language 4: Run riot
- 2026 World Cup Language 3: Lob over the keeper
- 2026 World Cup Language 2: Brace
- 2026 World Cup Language: To be dismissed
- 2026 World Cup in numbers
- 2026 World Cup in numbers (quiz)
- 2026 World Cup favourites, dark horses and flops
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